Blackburn Rovers & Sunderland join Sheffield United in Southampton transfer battle | OneFootball

Ben Brereton Diaz is now thought to the subject of two other Championship teams, with the Blades set to face a battle for his signature.

Championship pair Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland have joined the race to sign Southampton attacker Ben Brereton Diaz.

This is according to Sky Sports, who believe Sheffield United could now face a real battle for the Chilean's signature, despite reports last week of a verbal agreement with the Saints for the forward, as per Alex Crook of talkSPORT.

The forward hasn't exactly enjoyed the best time on the south coast since joining in the summer, and has failed to make much of an impact in front of goal.

But he showed last season at Bramall Lane on loan that he can be a real threat in the final third - and this is why he isn't short of interest during the January window despite enduring a fairly disappointing first half of the 2024/25 campaign.

An exit from St Mary's looks inevitable for Brereton Diaz during this window, as Ivan Juric looks to re-shape his squad to give the Saints the best chance of pulling off the miracle of securing Premier League survival.

The Chile international doesn't seem to be in Juric's plans, with the south-coast side believed to be willing to offload him during the current window.

Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland join Ben Brereton Diaz pursuit

Brereton Diaz used to play for Blackburn - and he thrived there in his final two years, scoring 38 goals in 88 appearances before moving on to Villarreal on a free transfer.

A return to Ewood Park could be beneficial, with John Eustace's side taking an interest in bringing him back to Lancashire.

However, they appear to be outsiders in this race at the moment, for two key reasons.

Firstly, the 25-year-old is believed to be keen on a return to Bramall Lane, which is no surprise considering how well he did in South Yorkshire during the second half of last season.

Secondly, the Saints are keen to include an obligation-to-buy clause in any loan deal this January, which would force his loan club to purchase him at the end of the season if they win promotion, according to Sky Sports.

Blackburn aren't willing to include that clause at this point, but Sunderland, who have also taken an interest in him, are.

The Black Cats are currently believed to be the only side of the three willing to include this clause, and because of this and the player's stance, a deal hasn't moved forward at this point.

Ben Brereton Diaz still looks destined to move on from Southampton

With more than half of the window left to go, there will surely be some compromise reached.

With Brereton Diaz seemingly keen on a move to Bramall Lane, it wouldn't be a surprise if he links up with Chris Wilder again.

Under new owners, United may be able to offer a generous package to the Saints, and that could persuade the latter to sanction a deal.

The attacker would be a good signing for any of the three sides, considering he could make a real difference in the promotion mix.

But you'd still class United as the favourites to secure his signature, with the Chilean's stance in mind.